Hundreds of others were paid less but thousands of dollars is not uncommon.

"There's some real inequality going on," Kozachik says.

He says the city is talking about raising bus fares on people who make less than many public safety officers take home in the buy back program.

"Go ahead and accrue your sick time and keep accruing it in case you have a catastrophic injury or illness," he says. "But don't use it as a seven thousand or ten thousand dollar Christmas turkey at the end of the year."

Assistant city manager Kelly Gottschalk says at this time the city manager's office will not recommend it as a budget balancing measure.

"It all comes down to mayor and council," she says. "They can make changes with four votes."

But getting those votes will likely be difficult.

"When the city manager tells us we have a $27 million deficit, our job is finding ways to trim that down without cutting services," Kozachik says.

Chief Villasenor says the buy back is not a perk. It's a necessity to make sure Tucson can recruit and retain public safety personnel in a competitive market.

It's long been noted Tucson loses officers to higher paying jurisdictions, especially to the Phoenix area.

According to a news release from Saguaro National Park work began Tuesday, Feb. 20 and during all phases of construction, which should take approximately three weeks, travel will be down to a single lane.

According to a news release from Saguaro National Park work began Tuesday, Feb. 20 and during all phases of construction, which should take approximately three weeks, travel will be down to a single lane.